Instant Pot mushroom orzo
Browned mushrooms and toasty orzo cook into a creamy, risotto-style bowl with parmesan and thyme, without standing at the stove stirring.
- 30 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $1.89 a serving
- 400 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1½ cups orzo
- 2¾ cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 400 calories, 14 g protein, 56 g carbs and 14 g fat, and costs about $1.89 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No baby bella mushrooms? White mushrooms work.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No fresh parsley? Cilantro works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Slice the mushrooms, the shallot and the garlic.
Dice. Dicing means cutting food into small, even cubes, usually a quarter to half an inch across. Pieces the same size cook at the same speed, so nothing burns while the rest catches up.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are little cubes about the size of a chickpea, and they all look close to the same.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Set the Instant Pot to and the butter with the oil. Add the mushrooms and salt and cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until browned and their liquid is gone.
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 5 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Stir less than you want to. Mushrooms only brown when they sit still against the hot pot.Add the shallot, garlic and thyme and cook 2 minutes, then stir in the orzo and toast it 1 minute.
Timer: 3 min
Pour in the broth, scrape the bottom well so nothing is stuck, and press Cancel.
Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and pressure cook on high for 3 minutes.
Timer: 3 min
When it beeps, carefully turn the valve to Venting with a long spoon, keeping your hand and face away from the steam.
Stir in the parmesan until creamy, adding of water if it’s thick, and let it sit 2 minutes.
Splash. A splash is a small, quick pour, about a teaspoon to a tablespoon. It’s there to loosen or brighten a dish, so the exact amount doesn’t matter.
How you’ll know: The dish looks a little looser or tastes a little brighter, not soupy.
Timer: 2 min
Dolly’s tip: It should look loose, like risotto. It keeps thickening as it stands.Serve with the pepper and parsley on top.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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30-minute dinners ›One-pan dinners ›What to make with baby bella mushrooms and parmesan ›